A Series of Best Practices: 8 – Have a Real “Discriminator”

What is your sales pitch? How are you trying to convince agencies to buy your product or service instead of from another company’s? In government contracting, the term “discriminatory” describes something about your company that is truly unique. Very few companies have even one of these and those that do work to capitalize on it.

Have something that truly sets you apart can give you the upper-hand when bidding and negotiating contracts. For instance, it could be a proprietary process or a patent. Or something you invented that has its own value. Being a sole source provider also holds a lot of power.

If you are the sole seller of a particular product or service, and you know this to be true your sales pitch will gain a lot of authority. You can literally say “We are the only company that does this”. Being a sole source also makes you a convenience for agencies, because they can simply verify this information to be true and this allows them to accept your bid without having to go through the entire bidding process.

However, having been in business for 20 years is not a discriminator. Nor is claiming to “understand” the agency who issued the contract, or the fact that a contractor has won a “best places to work” award. These are all good things to add to your pitch and definitely points to add in your favor but don’t confuse that with a discriminator.

Take the time to develop your pitch and really do the research on your business, product/service, and see what discriminators you might have, or what ones you might be able to groom your business to have. Always think ahead not just in the moment.

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